A toilet is a plumbing fixture and disposal system configured for the disposal of bodily waste products. Many toilets consist of a tank section and a bowl section. The tank section is adapted to hold flush water to be used when the toilet is flushed. The bowl section contains water and is adapted to receive solid and/or liquid human waste products and then be flushed. Deposited human waste products in the bowl section are removed by a flushing process which releases water held in the tank section into the bowl section. The released water removes the waste products to a sewer system, septic tank, or the like. The bowl section then automatically is refilled with new water such that standing water remains in the bowl section. The tank section likewise is refilled automatically with water to be ready for the next toilet flush.
In many plumbed buildings having toilets, the largest use of water is that required to flush toilets. Because flushing utilizes all of the water stored in the tank section, the water usage is wasteful and is not required. The actual water needed for flushing can vary based on what waste products needs to be flushed. Considerable interest has been placed on reducing the water used when toilets are flushed, especially at times and in places when there is a water deficiency or a period of drought. Numerous devices have been developed to conserve flush water in a toilet tank and control the flow of water therefrom. Consider, for example, that pre-1994, most toilets used 3.4 gallons of water or more per flush. Since that time, and in response to federal legislation, toilets have been improved to use only 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Known systems include those utilizing dual flush tanks with two flush options, such as one for liquid waste disposal and one for solid waste disposal. However, even low-flow and high-efficiency toilets have known deficiencies and limitations. Additionally, a known work-around to lessen the water usage in a toilet is to utilize an object such as a brick or enclosed bag of water placed within the tank to lessen the area in which tank water can fill, and thereby reduce the water used in a flush.
Related patents and published patent applications known in the background art include the following: U.S. Pat. No. 2,504,555, issued to Loether on Apr. 18, 1950, discloses a flush valve. U.S. Pat. No. 2,520,059, issued to Reeves on Aug. 22, 1950, discloses a flush tank ball valve. U.S. Pat. No. 3,036,313, issued to Jenkins on May 29, 1962, discloses a water saving attachment for flush boxes. U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,283, issued to Goldring on Sep. 28, 1976, discloses a water conserving device for a flushing apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,129, issued to Schonger on Dec. 21, 1982, discloses a water saving flush system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,455,694, issued to Dymon on Jun. 26, 1984, discloses a clip-on attachment for conserving water during the flushing of a toilet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,995, issued to Jennison et al. on Dec. 24, 1991, discloses a universal toilet tank water saving device. U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,110, issued to Richter on Jul. 14, 1992, discloses a selectable toilet-water-level flushing system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,848, issued to Battle on Jul. 4, 1995, discloses a flush regulator.
The foregoing patent information reflects the state of the art of which the inventor is aware and is tendered with a view toward discharging the inventor's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be pertinent to the patentability of the technology described herein. It is respectfully stipulated, however, that the foregoing patent and other information do not teach or render obvious, singly or when considered in combination, the inventor's claimed invention.
Thus, there remains a need for an apparatus and system for a toilet flush system adapted to control the flow of water and thereby conserve water. The technology described herein addresses these unmet needs.